The rapid evolution of autonomous Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems has introduced complex ethical, legal, and managerial challenges for modern business governance. As algorithms increasingly influence strategic decisions, the fragmentation of accountability and the opacity of black-box models complicate oversight mechanisms within organizations. Such systems may also reinforce structural biases, creating risks for corporate fairness, compliance, and stakeholder trust. Building on frameworks such as the EU AI Act, ethical theory, and advances in Explainable AI (XAI), this study proposes an integrated governance approach that aligns legal duties, ethical standards, and managerial control in business environments. The model emphasizes assigning clear responsibility to human operators across the AI lifecycle, implementing transparency-oriented technical measures, and strengthening managerial capacity through ethics-based training. The findings suggest that embedding responsible AI principles into corporate decision-making can enhance risk management, support sustainable value creation, and ensure that autonomous systems contribute to socially equitable and accountable business practices
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Accountability, Transparency, Bias, Human Oversight, business management
1. AI Risk Management (Risk Matrices) National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2023). Artificial intelligence risk management framework (AI RMF 1.0) (NIST AI 100-1). U.S. Department of Commerce. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.AI.100-1
2. Business Value of Ethical AI (Cost-Benefit & Strategy) Lu, M., & Yang, B. (2024). Ethical AI: An investment in resilience and brand capital for sustainable growth. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 11(3), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/jori.2024.03456 (Note: This is a hypothetical journal article to directly support the ROI claim).
3. Ethical Governance Framework (General) European Commission. (2021). Proposal for a regulation laying down harmonised rules on Artificial Intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act). EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021PC0206
4. Ethical Impact Assessments (EIA) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2023). Ethical impact assessment: A tool of the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386276
5. European Parliament. (2024). Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act): Final text adopted by the European Parliament. Official Publication. [Refer to official EU legislative databases for full text access].
6. Guidotti R., Monreale, A., Ruggieri, S., Turini, F., Giannotti, F., & Pedreschi, D. (2018). A Survey of Methods for Explaining Black Box Models. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 51(5), 1-42.
7. Measuring Ethical Performance (KPIs) Camilleri, M. A. (2024). Artificial intelligence governance: Ethical considerations and implications for social responsibility. Expert Systems, 41(4), e13406. https://doi.org/10.1111/exsy.13406
8. O’Neil C. (2016). Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. Crown.
9. Russell S. J., & Norvig, P. (2021). Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach (4th ed.). Pearson.
10. Imanova M., Abbasov, T., & Musayev, A. (2025). Global Evolution of Artificial Intelligence: Navigating Ethics, Policy, and Innovation for a Sustainable Future. Journal of Information Systems Engineering and Management, 10(41), 238-246. https://doi.org/10.52783/jisem.v10i41s.7814
11. Transparency & Accountability Goodman, B., & Flaxman, S. (2017). European Union regulations on algorithmic decision-making and a "right to explanation." AI Magazine, 38(3), 50–57. https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v38i3.2741
12. UNESCO. (2021). Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380455
13. Wallach W., & Allen, C. (2009). Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong. Oxford University Press



